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Most used in crimes in New Jersey are smuggled in from out of state, most often from the South, after being bought or stolen, authorities say.
These include “community guns,” which two or more criminals stash somewhere – in a mailbox or a garbage can, under a rock or on the tire of a car, for instance -- for instant access and quick disposal by them and others.
A grand jury indictment returned in Trenton charges Marquise Peterson, 28, of Trenton, and Quaneisha Frost-Clark, 27, of Loganville, GA with illegally bringing three 9mm community guns into the state, Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin said Thursday, March 10.
Both are specifically charged with conspiracy, transporting weapons into the state for unlawful sale or transfer, three counts each of unlawful possession of a weapon and manufacturing, transporting or disposing of a weapon and possession, receipt, or transfer of a community gun.
The indictment followed a joint investigation involving the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Mercer County Shooting Response Team, Platkin said.
It's all part of a focus on “stemming the flow of illegal guns trafficked across our borders,” the attorney general said.
“We are committed to working together with our law enforcement partners across all states in order to share intelligence, investigate, and prosecute criminals who arm themselves with illegal weapons that put our communities at risk,” state Division of Criminal Justice Director Lyndsay V. Ruotolo added.
Deputy Attorney General Karen M. Bornstein is the lead prosecutor on the case. The New Jersey State Police Crime Suppression Central Unit assisted.
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